Troop Boundaries & Information

Troop H

MAJOR CHRIS BLACKMONTROOP COMMANDER

Troop H Headquarters and the Tallahassee/Madison and Quincy District Headquarters are located in Tallahassee. The Troop includes eight counties: Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor and Wakulla.

Captain Roger Norris Tallahassee/Madison District Commander

Jefferson County has a population of 12,902 and encompasses an area of 598 square miles. Jefferson county was established in 1827 and named in honor of President Thomas Jefferson, who during his presidency, visited relatives that lived in the county. Places of interest are the Monticello Opera House, Jefferson County Kennel Club and the various ante-bellum plantations and mansions in the area. The Florida Highway Patrol currently has six State Trooper positions assigned to the county.

Leon County is the most populated county in our troop. Leon County has a population of 239,052 and encompasses an area of 671 square miles. Leon county was established in 1824 and named in honor of Ponce De Leon, founder of Florida. This location provides a lot of unique opportunities for the FHP to interact and work with many of the other state agencies that have headquarters in the capital city.

Madison County has a population of 18,733 and encompasses an area of 692 square miles. Madison County was established in 1827 and named in honor of President James Madison. Places of interest are the Wardlaw-Smith-Goza Mansion Conference Center and the Treasures of Madison County Museum. The Florida Highway Patrol currently has seven State Trooper positions assigned to the county.

Taylor County has a population of 19,256 and encompasses an area of 1,042 square miles. Taylor County was established in 1856 and named in honor of President Zachary Taylor. Places of interest are the Forest Capital State Museum and numerous recreational and photographic opportunities. The Florida Highway Patrol currently has six State Trooper positions assigned to the county.

Captain Kelly HildrethQuincy District Commander

Franklin County has a population of 11,057 and encompasses an area of 545 square miles. Franklin county was established in 1832 and in honor of the great Statesman Benjamin Franklin. Places of interest are the Fort Gadsden State Historical Site, St. George Island State Park, and the John Gorrie State Museum. The Florida Highway Patrol currently has five State Trooper positions assigned to the county.

Gadsden County has a population of 45,078 and encompasses an area of 508 square miles. Gadsden county was established in 1823 and named in honor of James Gadsden, Aide-de-camp to General Andrew Jackson in the Florida Campaign of 1818. Places of interest are Lake Seminole and Lake Talquin, and the art galleries and antique shops in the city of Havana. The Florida Highway Patrol currently has six State Trooper positions assigned to the county.

Liberty County has a population of 7,021 and encompasses an area of 835 square miles. Liberty County was established in 1855 and named in honor of our forefathers pursuit of liberty. Places of interest are the Appalachicola National Forest and Toryea State Park. The Florida Highway Patrol currently has five State Trooper positions assigned to the county.

Wakulla County has a population of 23,800 and encompasses an area of 607 square miles. Wakulla County was established in 1843 and the origin of it’s name is unknown. Places of interest are the Ochlockonee River State Park, the Wakulla Springs State Park and the St. Mark Wildlife Refuge. The Florida Highway Patrol currently has five State Trooper positions assigned to the county.

Tallahassee Regional Communications Center

The Tallahassee Regional Communications Center is responsible for radio and computer dispatching for Florida Highway Patrol Troop A and Troop H. In addition to the 18 counties that they are responsible for, they also dispatch for 8 other State Law Enforcement Agencies. The Communications Center is staffed by a Regional Communication Center Manager, Duty Officer Supervisors, Communication Training Officers, Duty Officers and Call Takers.

The Troop Watch Supervisor assigned by each Troop monitor radio communications between patrol officers and the communications center from the field level. They manage critical incidents to ensure proper and effective response by law enforcement personnel and they provide timely notification of command staff concerning significant incidents.

The Duty Officer Supervisors are responsible for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the Duty Officers under their supervision. They maintain current knowledge of the protocol and procedures of the Communications Center. They also notify the Troop Watch Supervisor and field supervisors regarding information pertinent to their respective geographical area of responsibility.

Communication Training Officers are responsible for training newly hired Duty Officers and Call Takers. They train new Duty Officers how to handle emergency situations and incidents. They monitor and evaluate trainees’ progress daily during their training and complete the required paperwork. They assist the trainees to obtain their 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator certification that is required by the State of Florida.

Duty Officers must complete their assignments quickly and accurately under emergency situations and they must handle several requests and incidents simultaneously. They answer *FHP and all other calls that come into the Communications Center. They document pertinent information from each incident into the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, and dispatch the appropriate personnel to each incident via radio. The Duty Officer is the lifeline of every Law Enforcement Officer via their radio. The Duty Officers maintain the highest standards of professionalism and ethical behavior at all times.

Lt. Thomas James Mallow, Flight OfficerTroop H Aircraft, Tallahassee

Lieutenant Thomas J. Mallow is the Troop H pilot flying a Cessna 182 RG. This fixed, high wing aircraft provides Lieutenant Mallow with an excellent observation platform for law enforcement support roles in Troop H and other parts of the state. With its 235 horsepower engine and retractable landing gear, it is capable of responding to scenes at 180 m.p.h . and slowing to 60 m.p.h. while Lieutenant Mallow performs enforcement roles on station. The aircraft carries a fuel capacity of 88 gallons allowing it to remain aloft for up to 6 hours. This is very useful when a violator attempts to flee and elude Troopers. Lieutenant Mallow can observe the suspect, allowing Troopers to fall back, avoiding a dangerous pursuit.

Operating at altitudes from 1,000 to 2,500 feet, Lieutenant Mallow has a unique view of vehicles traveling on Interstate 10 and local roads. Quarter mile speed measuring courses and stopwatches are used to determine a vehicles average speed through the course. Once it has been determined that a driver is exceeding the posted speed limit, Lieutenant Mallow communicates to Troopers, via radio, a brief description of the vehicle and sequence to them. Only when the Trooper has stopped the correct vehicle will Lieutenant Mallow begin to search for another violator. Traffic courts throughout the state have recognized the accuracy of speed measuring with the use of the aircraft. It has been an effective and cost efficient tool since 1963. Though primary enforcement with the aircraft is concentrated on excessive speed, it is used in the enforcement of other traffic laws such as following too closely, improper passing, improper lane changing and the growing concern of all motorists, aggressive motorist behavior, commonly referred to as “road rage”. Other duties Lieutenant Mallow has in the aircraft are disabled vehicle patrol, search and rescue, marijuana eradication, surveillance of criminal activity and disaster response.

Lieutenant Mallow also serves as a pilot on the Department’s twin engine aircraft, a Piper Navajo Panther, which provides law enforcement mission needs for the General Headquarters Staff and members of the Department’s Investigations Section.

The squad concept utilizes all on-duty traffic homicide investigators to conduct a traffic fatality or preliminary fatality investigation. Squad members use a laser program to obtain measurements that, in turn, are used with a computer aided diagramming program to diagram all traffic homicide investigations and some serious non-fatal crashes that involve criminal charges. Each crash is measured and photographed as soon as practicable and those results and information are incorporated into the final Traffic Homicide Investigation Report

Squad members also investigate FHP Patrol car crashes that occur in the troop, as well as, background investigations for recruits, auxiliary troopers and division job applicants. Squad members may be called upon to work driver’s license fraud cases and to assist General Headquarters Investigations Section as needed.